Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-11-03

of them. Two great golden rays run Ut
the wall behind them, but where the third
or middle one should be is an opening in
the wall, wide on the outside but narrow
within, like a loophole turned inward
| Through the eastern loophole stream the
first beams of the rising sun, and strike
right across the circle, touching the folded
petals of the great gold flower as they pass
| TIL they lmpinge upon the western altar
In the same way at night the last rays Of
the sinking sun rest for awhile on the
eastern altar before they die away into
darkness. 1t is the promise of the dawn
| to the evening, and the evening to the
| dawn.
/ With the exception of these three affairs
and the winged figures about them. the
whole space beneath the vast white dome
| is utterly empty and devoid of ornamental
| tion-a circumstance that to my fancy adds
| greatly to its grandeur.
| Such is brief description of this won
derful and lovely building, to the glories of
which, to my mind so much enhanced by
their complete simplicity, [ only wish had
! the power to do justice But l cannot, so
it is useless talking more about it, But
| when [ compare this great work of genius
ornamentation produced in these latter
| days By European ecclesiastical architects,
feel that even highly civilized art might
| learn something from the Zu-Vendi mas
| terpieces. / can only say that the excla-
nation which sprung to my lips as soon as
my eyes first became accustomed to the
dim light of that glorious building, and its
white and curving beauties, perfect and
b,,i11 i,,c, ofo ,1,oI Il I
| upon me one by one, was, "Well! a dog
would feel religious here" 1t is vulgarly
put but perhaps it conveys my meaning
more clearly than any polished utterance.
At the temple gates our party was re-
ceived by guard Of soldiers, who appear
ed to be under the orders of priest; and
by them we were conducted into one of the
ray or 'petaP' courts, as the priests call
them, and there left for at least half an
hour. Here we conferred together, and
realizing that we stood in great danger OF
our lives, determined that if any attempt
should be made upon US, to sell them as
dearly as we could Umslopogaas announc-
ing his fixed intention of committing sac
rilege on the person of Agon, the High
Priest, by splitting his venerable head with
Inkosikaasi. From where we stood we
cease flying the stomach to the ground
(Ue11tre q teTreO. l would withdraw. !
am incommoded, and would descend. Ar
rest yourself, I pray of you"
But the Withholding charioteer only
leant forward over his flying steeds and
shouted; and the air, as it went singing
past, bore away the sounds Of Alphonse'S
lamentations.
And now before u.s. in all it's marvellous
splendor and dazzling loneliness, shone
out the Temple of the Sun-the peculiar
pride of the Zu-Vendi, to whom it was
what Solomon's, or rather Herod's s, Temple
was to the Jews. The wealth, and skill,
and labor of generations had been given
to the building OF this wonderful palace,
which had been only finally completed
within the last fifty years. Nothing was
spared that the country could produce,
and the result was indeed worthy of the
effort; not SO much on account of it's size
for there are larger fanes in the world-as
because of its perfect proportions, the rich
ness and beauty of its materials, and the
wonderful workmanship. The building
(Which stands by itself on a space of some
eight acres of garden ground on the hill
top, around which are the dwelling places
of the priests) is built in the shape of SUM-
flower, with dome-covered central hall,
from which radiate twelve petalshaped
courts, each dedicated to one of the twelve
months, and serving as the repositories of
statues reared in memory of the illuStrious
dead. The width of the circle beneath the
dome is three hundred feet, the height of
the dome four hundred feet, and the length
of the rays is one hundred and fifty feet,
and the height of their roofs three hundred
feet, SO that they run into the central dome
exactly as the petals of the sunfower run
into the great raised heart. Thus the ex-
act measurement from the center of the
central altar to the extreme point of any
one of the rounded rays would be three
hundred feet the width of the circle itself,
or a total of six hundred feet from the
rounded extremity of one ray or petal to
the extremity of the opposite one (these
are internal measurements.-A. O..
The building itself is of pure and polished
white marble, which shows out in marvel
Gus contrast to the red granite of the frown-
ing city, on whose brow it glistens indeed
like an imperial diadem upon the forehead
of dusky queen. The outer surface OF
the dome and of the twelve petal courts is
covered entirely with thin sheets Of beaten
gold; and from the extreme point of the
roof of each Of these petals glorious gold
en- form with tru,lpet in it's hand and
widespread wings is figured in the very
could perceive that an immense multitude
were pouring into the temple, evidently
in expectation of some unusual event, and
and could not help fearing that we had
to do with it. And here [ may explain
that every day, when the sunlight falls
upon the central altar, and the trumpets
sound, burnt sacrifice is offered to the
sun, consisting generally of the carcass of
a sheep or an OK, or sometimes of fruit or
corn. This event comes off about midday;
of course, not always exactly at that hour,
but as Zu-Vendis is situated not far from
the line although being so high above the
sea it is very temperate-midday and the
falling of the sunlight on the altar were
generally simultaneous. To-day the sac
rifice was to take place at about eight
minutes past twelve.
Just at twelve o'clock priest appeared
and made sign, and the officer of the
guard signif1ed to us that we were expect
ed to advance, which we did with the best
grace that we could muster; all except Al
Dhonse. whose irrepreSsible teeth instantly